FREE ESSAY ON TANNING BEDS

TANNING BEDS

Tanning Beds/Salons
What exactly is tanning? Tanning is your body's natural response that occurs when your
skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV) such as the sun. Exposure to UV radiation
from sunlamps and beds can add to the total amount of UV radiation you can receive in
your lifetime. UVA and UVB rays put out radiation which can cause skin cancer. 
Tanning beds and booths basically imitate the sun. The sun emits three kinds of UV rays
(the ones that make you tan). UV-C has the shortest wavelength of the three, and is also
the most harmful. The sun emits UV-C light, but then it's absorbed by the ozone layer and
pollution. Tanning lamps filter out this type of UV light. UV-B, the middle wavelength,
starts the tanning process, but overexposure can cause sunburn. UV-A has the longest
wavelength, and it completes the tanning process. Tanning lamps use the best ratio of
UV-B and UV-A light to provide optimal tanning results, with a lowered risk of
overexposure. 
If it takes you a while to get a tan outside, it may be easier for you to get the color
you want (brown instead of red) by tanning indoors. You would need to start with a short
exposure time, and increase it very gradually. However, if you NEVER tan from the sun,
you will not tan from tanning lamps, since they emit the very same tanning rays as the
sun does.
In order to build a tan, it is important to tan regularly. Don't let too much time go by
between visits, or your tan will begin to fade. You can tan up to once every 24 hours,
but it is generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours in between each session
to allow your tan to fully develop in between visits. You can build up your tan by going
to an indoor tanning facility three to four times a week. Once you have a tan, you can
maintain it by tanning two or three times a week. Usually, you will begin to notice
results after a few tanning sessions, but it may take a few weeks of regular tanning (at
least three times a week) to get to the color you are looking for. If you are developing
a base tan before going on a trip, you would want to start tanning about three or four
weeks before you go.